GHW, Yarden Syrah 2007: What can I say other than I was very disappointed. This wine is very dark garnet with some purple at the rim, the nose is very reminiscent of the previous vintage with jammy raspberries, vanilla and milk chocolate which is quite fine with me, I love that. However, on the palate the first attack offers overripe and way too sweet raspberries and blackberries as well as sweet cherries, raisins, roasted Mediterranean herbs and mildly bitter chocolate with soft, barely noticeable tannins on the long finish. When I need usually a lot more than that, after only one glass I started to feel the effect of the alcohol. I loved the 2006 but the 2007 is a no-no for me, sorry.

Dalton petite syrah -Always delicious. Alot has been posted recently on QPR. I'm not trying to reopen the subject here but IMHO this is the best qpr in its price range as we buy it under 20.00 in NY. Sam m

2010 Covenant Lavan Chardonnay: A-/** Since last time I had it a few months ago, this chardonnay has come into its own and it is a beauty. It's definitely new world, with pronounced buttery, toasty oak, but everything is perfectly balanced with bright fruit and crisp acidity. It's become surprisingly sweet despite its relative youth--with strong notes of white flower honey. All the classic chardonnay notes, with a long, citrussy finish. Very well done.

2009 Capcanes Peraj Petita: A-/*** This wine took some time to open in the glass. IMHO, this is the best vintage of this great wine (like it's older brother the Peraj). Medium bodied with somewhat translucent ruby coloring, this wine is very food friendly. Very expressive nose, bursting with bright red and purple fruit (rapsberry, cranberry, plum, pomegranate), toasty oak flavors integrate very well with a long espresso finish. Silky, mouth-coating tannins. Among the greatest bargains in the kosher wine world, it compares very favorably with wines costing triple as much. Moreover, this isn't a wine to go to just for the QPR (like say the Recanati Shiraz), it's a wine I'd appreciate even if cost weren't factor at all. It bears a strong family resemblance to the Peraj, but lighter, simpler, brighter, and easier drinking. And of course it won't cellar the way the Peraj will.

Elvi Sangoria B-/*** I remember Rogov's TN for this wine--although he scored it favorably, he wrote that no one in Spain would dream of buying a Sangoria, as it's easy to make yourself. But where would you find quality wine for $5? By my calculation, making a Sangoria would cost you at least $20 between wine and fruit, so this this is quite a bargain at $5. Unfortunately, it's far too sweet for my palate.

Eli: If making sangria would cost you $ 20 a bottle, then clearly you're not making it properly.

The proper way to make sangria is to start with some inexpensive red wine, some fruit, possibly some fruit juice and optionally some inepensive club soda or sparkling water.

Then you call a group of friends to help make the sangria. As it's being made, you all taste it, so that when you agree it's ready, everyone's in such a good mood that nobody cares exactly how it tastes and how little the wine cost.

Trusty companion for kiddush and havdala was a bottle of Psagot Merlot 2007, purchased for $26 from the duty free shop at JFK's Terminal 7. Was only traveling with carry-ons and was worried about having the time to source a bottle of kosher wine while in China, so having the Psagot available at the airport was fantastic. It tasted fine, a little plummy, but absolutely fantastic for making the trip.

Did not have a chance to try Tsing Tao, stuck to Carlsberg and Duvel on the beer side.

YoelA wrote:Eli: If making sangria would cost you $ 20 a bottle, then clearly you're not making it properly.

The proper way to make sangria is to start with some inexpensive red wine, some fruit, possibly some fruit juice and optionally some inepensive club soda or sparkling water.

Then you call a group of friends to help make the sangria. As it's being made, you all taste it, so that when you agree it's ready, everyone's in such a good mood that nobody cares exactly how it tastes and how little the wine cost.

2010 Carmel kayoumi white reisling. Didn't drink that much of this last week, and lost our rabbit ear air sucker things; so I poured this wine in little empty 8 ounce spring water bottles and stored in the freezer for the week. thawed out for Friday dinner and it was very fresh and delicious. No signs of wear and tear.2009 Dalton SMV. same freezer storage as per above. same results.2007 Hevron Heights Isaac's Ram. very good but slight signs of fading.2001 Yardem merlot magnum. Very good but same signs of fading; brick red to brown edges

Midbar Orange 44 2010 - With the Orange designation indicating that this white wine underwent a red wine's protocol, and having read the posts by Chaim and Gabe, I expected a funky experience. I didn't quite get that. Yes, I felt the tannins coming as a result of the extended skin contact, and I also found the wine to be round as a result of the malolactic fermentation, but neither of these features are exaggerated. As a result, the wine attempts to compensate with tannin what it lacks in acidity, and the oxidative techniques are intended to add complexity, though that will take time to develop. If I had to call out a characteristic that stands out, I would point to the extra weight of the wine's body. The wine blends 52% Chenin Blanc with 24% of Chardonnay and of Viognier. While there times were the aromatics of the Viognier shines through, for the most part the wine comes across as a fusion of apple cider and pear nectar. I know that Ya'akov feels that this wine, as he feels about many of his other wines, requires several years of bottle age for it to develop complexity and show its potential. At this point in time, the wine is a bit dull, due to the lack of acidity, and the complexity hasn't kicked in, yet. I plan on holding on to my other bottles, waiting to see the development of the wine. The list price is 125NIS. B-/**

After writing my notes, I'll go back and re-read those of Chaim and Gabe, checking if they are so divergent that a reader might question whether or not we are all writing about the same wine.

Midbar Orange 44 2010 - With the Orange designation indicating that this white wine underwent a red wine's protocol, and having read the posts by Chaim and Gabe, I expected a funky experience. I didn't quite get that. Yes, I felt the tannins coming as a result of the extended skin contact, and I also found the wine to be round as a result of the malolactic fermentation, but neither of these features are exaggerated. As a result, the wine attempts to compensate with tannin what it lacks in acidity, and the oxidative techniques are intended to add complexity, though that will take time to develop. If I had to call out a characteristic that stands out, I would point to the extra weight of the wine's body. The wine blends 52% Chenin Blanc with 24% of Chardonnay and of Viognier. While there times were the aromatics of the Viognier shines through, for the most part the wine comes across as a fusion of apple cider and pear nectar. I know that Ya'akov feels that this wine, as he feels about many of his other wines, requires several years of bottle age for it to develop complexity and show its potential. At this point in time, the wine is a bit dull, due to the lack of acidity, and the complexity hasn't kicked in, yet. I plan on holding on to my other bottles, waiting to see the development of the wine. The list price is 125NIS. B-/**

After writing my notes, I'll go back and re-read those of Chaim and Gabe, checking if they are so divergent that a reader might question whether or not we are all writing about the same wine.

\The other two bottles - one is WORLD FAMOUS and the other is a lovely Dalton. The first is the 2007 Rabbi Levine sulfite free Merlot made famous in Alice Feiring's Naked Wine - where she highlights Benyamin Cantz and the four gates winery (I crashed the end of that visit with Alice and Benyo - my blog on it can be found here: http://kosherwinemusings.com/2010/07/16 ... es-winery/). She highlighted the Merlot because it was the only truly organic kosher wine (at that time) available here in the USA (there is Bashan and Harkham, along with a few wines I do not like so much).

Anyway, my take on this famous wine and the 2009 Dalton Alma Bordeaux blend: